Shochu that goes with coffee liqueur
Wine, liqueur and spirits
These are bottles to mix coffee liqueur into. Some of them taste of it too, and where that is the reason a bottle is here, its line says so.
Mr Black or a good Japanese one. Awamori and shochu makers bottle their own, so this is not a foreign idea imposed on the spirit.
Best bottles for coffee liqueur
The strongest matches in the catalogue, across every style. Everything below is the same ranking opened out by what the shochu is made from.
Coffee finds the cocoa note and makes it obvious
An espresso martini on an aged base has the caramel the coffee is looking for
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
rice, floral, aged
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
rice, aged
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
rice, steamed rice, soft, caramel
rice, chocolate, sweet, aged
rice, floral, honey, caramel
Grouped by what the shochu is made from, because that is the level the reasoning works at: what this does to an imo shochu is a fact about imo shochu rather than about one bottle. Within each style the strongest matches come first, and bottles we pour are marked rather than promoted. The scores are the same engine that recommends a mixer from a bottle, run the other way round, but the labels are not: a bottle page badges at most twelve strong matches and at most three per family, so that the twelve describe that bottle rather than the same citrus and soda every time. Here there is no cap, so a pairing badged strong on this page can read as a good match on the bottle's own.
Mugi shochu
Coffee finds the cocoa note and makes it obvious
barley, sesame, caramel, chocolate
barley, chocolate, umami, smooth
barley, chocolate, earthy, smooth
barley, sesame, grassy, chocolate
barley, caramel, chocolate, smoky
Show the other 82 coffee liqueur matches
An espresso martini on an aged base has the caramel the coffee is looking for
barley, crisp, clean, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
barley, soft, light-bodied, clean
barley, smooth, long finish, aged
barley, smooth, light-bodied, clean
barley, umami, rich, sweet
barley, umami, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, aged
barley, smooth, rich, whisky-like
barley, chocolate, rich, full-bodied
barley, rich, full-bodied, cask
barley, vanilla, spice, cask
barley, honey, chocolate, spice
barley, smooth, mint, caramel
barley, vanilla, chocolate, nutty
barley, smooth, crisp, cask
barley, toast, spice, rich
barley, banana, white peach, tea
barley, soft, chocolate, toast
barley, pear, banana, bread
barley, cask, aged
barley, jasmine, honey, vanilla
barley, soft, silky, smooth
barley, rich, cask, aged
barley, toast, cereal, rich
barley, vanilla, nutty, toast
barley, dry, cask, aged
barley, caramel, rich, sweet
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
barley, crisp, clean
barley, tropical fruit, light-bodied
barley, smooth, rich, light-bodied
barley, pear, soft, spice
barley, rich, crisp
barley, soft, clean
barley, smooth
barley, soft, sweet
barley, umami, rich, sharp
barley, light-bodied
barley, apple, pineapple, creamy texture
barley, rice, umami
barley, rice, umami
barley, earthy, clean, bright
barley, roasted grain
barley, toast, rich, light-bodied
barley, melon, banana, floral
barley, umami, light-bodied
barley, smooth, dry
barley, white peach, cherry, soft
barley, banana, toast
barley, vanilla, cask
barley, toast, light-bodied, sweet
barley, crisp, light-bodied, fruity
barley, fruity, light-bodied
barley, sweet, clean
barley, banana, berry, bread
barley, toast, savory, rich
barley, soft, cask, aged
barley, smooth, crisp, aged
Awamori
Awamori has enough character to be the base of a cocktail, not the neutral part of one. So an orange liqueur or a mezcal sits beside it instead of covering it.
An espresso martini on an aged base has the caramel the coffee is looking for
Coffee finds the cocoa note and makes it obvious
rice, floral, honey, caramel
rich, full-bodied, aged, umami
aged, caramel, smooth, spice
rice, clean, smooth, aged
Show the other 93 coffee liqueur matches
rice, pear, caramel, rich
rice, whisky-like, cask, aged
rice, smooth, savory, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, chocolate
rice, umami, clean, light-bodied
rice, bright, aged
rice, clean, bright, aged
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, soft, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, smooth, aged
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, soft, aged
rice, caramel, chocolate, crisp
rice, sweet, smooth, rich
rice, smooth, soft, aged
rice, soft, clean, aged
rice, sweet, crisp, smooth
rice, smooth, maple, umami
rice, sherry-like, aged
rice, sweet, soft, smooth
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, sweet, oily
rice, smooth, sweet, aged
rice, cherry, vanilla, caramel
rice, vanilla, funky, creamy texture
rice, smooth, soft, clean
rice, nutty, dry, aged
Mr Black or a good Japanese one. Awamori and shochu makers bottle their own, so this is not a foreign idea imposed on the spirit.
rich, smooth, clean, soft
clean, off-dry, soft, light-bodied
umami, rich, full-bodied, cask
rice, smooth, cereal, sweet
rice, soft, rich, sweet
rice, clean, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, clean, smooth
rice, smooth, rich, sweet
rice, light-bodied, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, smooth, sweet
rice, soft, smooth
rice, earthy, mushroom, rich
Coffee and fresh citrus fight rather than blend
Kome shochu
Rice shochu stirred with vermouth is a martini with koji where the juniper was. The strength depends on the bottle, not on the swap. Most shochu is 25 and lands well under a gin martini. The 40 percent bottles land beside one.
An espresso martini on an aged base has the caramel the coffee is looking for
The bottle carries the grain and the mixer carries it roasted, so it is one ingredient reaching the glass two ways.
Show the other 38 coffee liqueur matches
rice, light-bodied, clean
rice, aged, cask, smooth
rice, rich, aged
rice, soft, rich, aged
rice, soft, light-bodied, aged
rice, light-bodied, dry, aged
rice, smooth, crisp, aged
rice, smooth, aged
This bottle's aroma is the reason to own it, and a roasted or smoky mixer covers exactly that.
Mr Black or a good Japanese one. Awamori and shochu makers bottle their own, so this is not a foreign idea imposed on the spirit.
rice, rich, clean, bright
rice, banana, vanilla, chocolate
rice, rich, bright
rice, smooth, rich
rice, vanilla, caramel, chocolate
Kokuto shochu
Brown sugar and coffee is the pairing Amami distillers make themselves
kokuto, rich, long finish, aged
Show the other 12 coffee liqueur matches
kokuto, light-bodied, clean, aged
kokuto, molasses, roasted grain, dry
kokuto, molasses, vanilla, spice
kokuto, vanilla, spice, cask